Automatic gun.



G. CHALLENGER & H. SAVAGE.

AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED 1uLY 6.19m.

' Patented Apr. 1,1919..

EPI.,

Broadway,

j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

GEORGE HENRYv QHALLENGER, or wEsTM'I'Ns'rEH, LONDON, Aiml HAROLD ARTHUR.

, SAVAGE, 0F BEXLEY HEATH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS T0 lVICKERS LIMITED, OFiWEST- Mms'rna, ENGLAND.

' ATOMATIG GUN.y

To all 'whom t may concer/1t:

Be it known that we, GEORGE HENRI CHALLENGER 'and'4 HAROLD ARTHUR SAVAGE, both subjects of the King of GreatBritain, residing, respectively, at Vickers House, Westminster, in the county of London, England, and Bexley Heath Works, Gravel Hill, Bexley Heath, in the countyof Kent, England, have invented certain new' and useful Improvements in or Relating to Automatic Guns, of which the following is a speci'cation. p

This inventiony relates to automatic guns of the Lewis, Hotchkiss or similar type in which when the trigger or sear is actuated to re the gun, the bolt has to move forward to insert a new cartridge into the barrel before firing occurs, as distinctk from the type of gun, such as the Vickers automatic gun, in which, when the gun is readyfor firing, the bolt is in its forward position with the cartridge in the barrel, the actuation of the trigger or sear then merely releasing the striker.v The chief obj ect of the present invention is to convert a gun of the first mentioned type into one that will operate'like one of the second mentioned type; by so doing the consequent reduction in the lapse of time from the instant of actuating the trigger or sear to the instant of impact of the striker with the head of the cartridge, rendersthe converted gun particularly apv plicable for ring between the propeller blades of aircraft and for the ring to be controlled by the aircraft engine.

According to the present invention, we provide means whereby the striker spring does not become energized'during the rearward movement of the aforesaid striking post or other member, but becomes energized during the forward movement of this meniber. ln this manner we are able to 'reduce the size of the spring and are able to place the spring within the mechanism casing of the gun, thereby avoiding the necessity of arranging the spring within a casing at tached to the butt tang or butt tting. Furthermore, as the spring is not energized during the rearward movement of the striking post, no undue impediment is odered to the proper rearward movement of the breech mechanism.

In order that the said invention may be Y clearly understood and readily carried into eect, we will describe the same more fully -Speci'cation of Letters Patent.

with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation showing more or less diagrammatically. a constructiona'l form of our improvements, the bolt being shown iii its forward position and the striker in its fired osition.

Fig. 2 isa view similar to Fig. l but `showing the bolt in its rearmost position.

-The firing mechanism is shown in conjunction with the breech mechanism of a Lewis gun, this mechanism comprising a bolt A, a feed operating stud A connected to the bolt, a rack B and a striking post B' forming part of the rack. C is the striker loosely mounted in the striking post B and `D is the striker spring. This spring is of B', to move the plunger E forward by rea- Patented Apr. 1, 1919. i

Application led July 6, 1917. Serial No. 179,09?.

son of a cam e Oii this armbearing against thev rear end of the plunger and thereby compressing the striker spring D. In order to effect the actuation of the arm E', the rear portion of the rack B has attached thereto a rearwardly extending bar B2 having an inclined or cam shaped operating surface b2 which engages with the arm, during the forward movement of the rack B and its striking post B', to rock the arm in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l for compressing the spring in such a manner that when the partsV are in the position ready to fire (with the spring cocked) the compres sion of the said spring cannot pull therack B backward from its home position. This rocking movement of the arm E to effect the compression of the striker spring, occurs during the final portion of 'the forward movement of the rack and its striking post relatively to the bolt and after the latter has been locked by its rotary movement.

The striker spring thus also serves as a buffer to bring the rack and the striking post gently to rest. During the time that the arm is compressing the striker spring, the striker is prevented from moving forward tension of the striker coming against a trigger or sear d and the striker is thereby cocked. It will be observed that the striker spring is thus compssed from both ends,

at its rear end by the aforesaid arm and at its forward end by the aforesaid collar C4 vthe final portion of the rearward movement of the rack and its striking post relatively to the bolt, the said post comes into contact with l with the breech bolt, o-

a shoulder on the striker, the latter can be moved rearward slightly in order to with-l draw 'the point of the striker within the front face of the bolt as shown in Fig. 2.

at we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. In an automatic gun, the combination- `with the breech bolt, of a member for operating said bolt, a Spring actuated striker loosely carried by said member and a device carrled by the bolt and, operated by said member for energizingthe spring duringthe orwardcmovement of said member.

2. In an automatic un, the combination a gas operated member for actuating said bolt, a spring actuated striker loosely carried by said member and a device carrled by the ybolt and'operated by said member for energizing the spring during the forward movement of said member.

3. In an automatic gun, the combination with the breech bolt, of a member for im;-

parting angular and axial movement to the b olt, a spring actuated striker loosel; carried by said member and a device carried by the bolt and operated byy said member for energizlng the spring during the forward movement of said member.r

4. In an automatic gun, the combination with the breech bolt, of a striking post for operatmg the bolt, `a 'spring actuated striker` y mounted in said-post and means for loosel energlzing the; spring during .the forward movement of said post.

`5. In Ian automatic gun, the combination with the breech bolt, of a striking ost for operating the bolt, a spring actuated) striker loosely mounted in said post, a casing a-ttached to the breech bolt, saidcasing receiving the striker spring, a pivoted member controlling said spring and means for displacing said member during the forward movement of the post to energize the spring.

6 In an automatic gun, the combination with the 'breech bolt, of a striking ost for operating the bolt, a spring attuate striker loosely mounted in said post, a casing attached to the breech bolt, said casing receiving the striker spring, a pivoted member controlling said spring, means for displacing said member during the forward movement of the post to' energize the spring, and a Sear which engages with the striker during the forward vmovement of the pos-t to further energize the spring. l

7. 'In an automatic gun, the combination with the breechbolt, of a striking post for operating the bolt, a spring actuated striker loosely mounted in said post, a casing attached tothe breech bolt, said casing receiving the striker spring, a pivoted member controlling said spring, means'for displacing said member during the forward movement of the post to energize the spring and means. whereby, during the rearward movement of the striking post, the said member is; displaced to relieve the energization of the spring so as to' enable the striker to be moved rearward by the post to withv draw the point of the striker within the front face of the bolt.

8. In an automatic gun, the combination with the breech bolt, of a striking ost for operating the bolt, a spring actuate striker loosely mounted in said post, a rearward extension on the striker for engaging with 'a trigger or sear, a casing attached t the bolt for receiwng the striker spring, Aa plunger against which one end of the spring v bears, an arm pivoted to the casing and provided with a cam surface 'bearing agamst the plunger, and a rearward extension on the said post, this extensi erate the pivoted arm. t

In testimo y whereof we aiix our signatures. A

GERGE HENRY .OHALLENGERL v HAROLD ARTHUR SAVAGE.

n serving to op-` 

